IRISH WOMAN’S UNEXPECTED REWARD AFTER ‘BEST DECISION WE EVER MADE’ TO ADOPT A CAT IN CANADA

In a heart-warming twist of fate, an Irish woman living in Toronto received an unexpected reward after adopting a Canadian cat named Jimmie.

Bevin McEvoy, originally from Trim, Ireland, moved to Canada in 2018 with her partner Dylan. Shortly after their arrival, Bevin landed a human resources job with a group of retirement homes in the city.

While adjusting to life in Canada, Bevin began to miss the comforts of home and felt a longing for a family pet. After much pleading with Dylan, who wasn’t initially on board, Bevin finally got her way after a weekend spent with friends who had cats. That sunny Saturday in July 2023 marked the start of a new chapter.

The following Monday, while at work, Bevin received an email notifying staff that a resident, 89-year-old Gerry Jackson, had passed away. Gerry, who had no family to care for his cat, Jimmie, had left instructions for him to be adopted. Bevin saw this as a sign.

“I went home that evening and shared the whole story with Dylan,” Bevin recalled. “I told him Jimmie needed a home, we were already looking for a cat, and it seemed meant to be.”

The very next day, Bevin picked up Jimmie from Greenview Seniors Residence. He came equipped with his food, bed, cat tent, and toys, ready for his new life. Later that week, Bevin and Dylan took Jimmie to the vet for vaccines and inquired about getting him neutered.

Jimmie was quickly settling into their downtown apartment, and while life was already good for the little family, it was about to get even better.

Two weeks later, Bevin received an email from Mr. Jackson’s lawyer, revealing that the late resident had left $5,000 in his will for the person who would adopt and care for Jimmie.

The news had been purposely kept under wraps until Jimmie had found a new home, to ensure it didn’t influence anyone’s decision to adopt him.

“I started crying when I got that email,” Bevin admitted, having had no idea about the money. For the 30-year-old, she said, “everything changed” after that.

She said:

“When we adopted Jimmie, he was only two and a half, so Gerry really didn’t have him for very long, but he obviously cared so much about him.

“It was obviously such a worry for him when he was passing, wondering who was going to look after Jimmie.”

Bevin says that adopting Jimmie was the “best decision we have ever made”.

“He is the best cat in the whole world. He just wants to be around people all the time, even now, he is sitting here beside me. We are so blessed; it really did change our lives, and I can’t imagine our life without him,” Bevin said.

That is why when Bevin and Dylan moved home from Toronto in December last year, they brought Jimmie with them.

“There was no way we were leaving him behind, he is part of us. He has been with us in Toronto, and now he is with us in Ireland too. He has been there with us for both,” Bevin said.

Bevin and Dylan never considered changing Jimmie’s name. “Jimmie Jackson is just such a great name, it suits him so well,” Bevin said.

Although, he does have a nickname. “In Dylan’s group chat with the lads, they all call him 5G Jimmie because of the money,” she laughed.

According to Bevin, Jimmie is a “happy little indoor cat” since moving home. “He has so much more space here. He went from like a 300sq ft room in a retirement home, to a 550sq ft condo, to a whole house. He is upgrading and living his best life.”